State songbird
Western meadowlark
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeSalem ·
U.S. States / West · Card 037
Oregon
The Beaver State
Crater Lake occupies a caldera left after the collapse of Mount Mazama during a major eruption.
Oregon and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights Oregon.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Salem
- Postal abbreviation
- OR
- Population
- 4,273,586July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 254,799 km²98,379 square miles · land and water
- Statehood
- February 14, 1859State number 33
- Region
- West
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
State song
Oregon, My Oregon
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Neighboring states: California, Idaho, Nevada, Washington.
02
Landscape & places
Crater Lake occupies a caldera left after the collapse of Mount Mazama during a major eruption. Rain and snow supply the lake, whose basin is enclosed by the volcanic rim.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 248,608 km² of land and 6,191 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
The obverse has a gold state emblem and lettering on blue; the reverse shows a gold beaver.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · Crater Lake
How the landscape works
Crater Lake occupies a caldera, a basin formed when a volcano collapsed after a major eruption. It is not a crater excavated by a meteorite. Rain and snow supply the lake. Explaining its shape requires separating the volcanic event that formed the basin from the water cycle that fills it today.
History
Why “free state” did not mean racial equality in Oregon
Oregon voters approved a constitution in 1857 that prohibited slavery. At the same time, they supported excluding free Black people from settling in the state. These positions could coexist because many white settlers opposed slavery while also opposing Black residence and equal rights.
Oregon entered the Union in 1859 with the exclusion provision in its constitution. The provision restricted residence, property ownership and access to legal protections. It was later repealed, but its presence shows why calling Oregon a free state does not describe the full history of racial discrimination there.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
Oregon’s constitution prohibited slavery but also excluded Black people from settling in the state. These provisions demonstrate that opposition to slavery did not necessarily mean support for equal rights. Calling Oregon a free state without explaining exclusion would conceal an important part of its founding political system.
Key dates
-
Oregon Territory organized
-
Washington Territory separated
-
Statehood · State number 33
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde represents multiple peoples brought together through a history of removal. Its own cultural and governmental information adds a Native perspective to Oregon’s history of exclusion and political power.
Continue with Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
Oregon and California
| Measure | Oregon | California |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 4,273,586 | 39,355,309 |
| Land area (km²) | 248,608 | 403,466 |
| People per km² of land | 17.2 | 97.5 |
California has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore California.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, real estate and rental and leasing was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included government and government enterprises, professional and business services, and educational services, health care, and social assistance.
Total economic output was $342.9 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 15.0%
- Government and government enterprises: 12.6%
- Professional and business services: 12.4%
- Educational services, health care, and social assistance: 10.6%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people4.272025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 4,243,544 |
| 2021 | 4,254,691 |
| 2022 | 4,245,964 |
| 2023 | 4,250,392 |
| 2024 | 4,265,324 |
| 2025 | 4,273,586 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars265.992025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 180,738.2 |
| 2011 | 185,959.4 |
| 2012 | 187,352.4 |
| 2013 | 189,609.7 |
| 2014 | 195,808.2 |
| 2015 | 205,581.8 |
| 2016 | 214,769.3 |
| 2017 | 225,534.5 |
| 2018 | 234,308.3 |
| 2019 | 239,794.8 |
| 2020 | 236,651.4 |
| 2021 | 250,919.9 |
| 2022 | 254,237.5 |
| 2023 | 258,023.4 |
| 2024 | 263,347.7 |
| 2025 | 265,993.2 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
Oregon’s population increased by about 0.7% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 82024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 62020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about Oregon
Show a hint
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Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.